The origin story of the N95 mask

https://www.fastcompany.com/90479846/the-untold-origin-story-of-the-n95-mask

by wallflower • 6 years ago

212 134 6 years ago

I am a strong believer in the universal mask protocol for controlling COVID-19. I've created https://www.maskssavelives.org/ to help spread the message.

iratewizard• 6 years ago

Thank you for this. I wish it was as obvious to others as it is to pretty much anyone who has spent time in East Asia. Masks and the culture of being polite about not spreading disease would be a game changer in the US.

mkbkn• 6 years ago

100% agree. Thanks for creating the website. I'll spread the website link in my circle.

ysw0• 6 years ago

This is brilliant.

xref• 6 years ago

I’m interested to see if the numbers from Japan that are prevalent on your site hold up. They are doing even less testing than America...

https://www.vox.com/covid-19-coronavirus-explainers/2020/3/2...

gombosg3• 6 years ago

It's OK that your 'belief' contradicts official WHO guidance but that 'MASKS-NO MASKS' graph went a bit too far as a misstatement (i.e. "presenting facts in an alternative way").

Let me paste the official advice here for educating readers: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2...

If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection. Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing. Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.

The kind of misinforming you are doing is dangerous in these times, especially that the official WHO standpoint is that wearing masks in a wrong way (using it multiple times, touching or taking off in a wrong way) is worse than not wearing them at all during already decreased social encounters (i.e. already staying at home, and going out at most for groceries).

Or are you stating that the WHO is lying?

Those Asian cultures have a different epidemic curve not due to mask wearing, but because a totally different social structure, prior experience concerning epidemics, preparedness, attitude towards authority & emergency measures and other factors. So it's a fallacy of cherry picking to say that it's 'because they wear masks and all our authorities are wrong'.

cmrx642• 6 years ago

Or are you stating that the WHO is lying?

yes, the page does indeed state that. what do you think of the cited research, vs nitpicking the hero image?

javagram2• 6 years ago

WHO’s statement itself says that the mask is helpful when you are caring for someone with a suspected infection, therefore it admits the mask can provide some level of infection protection. It likewise says the mask should be worn by someone coughing or sneezing, showing that it protects others from your germs.

The obvious answer to the “wearing masks in a wrong way” is to teach people to use and dispose of them correctly, just like we don’t dismiss hand washing because many people don’t know how to do it.

I think these statements by health authorities are simply because there has been no RCT of mask wearing among the general public and for them lack of evidence is equivalent to evidence of absence.

wwweston• 6 years ago

Here's what makes sense to me:

* The single most effective intervention we have right now is staying home and avoiding every unnecessary contact, as authorities recommend.

* Worn carefully, several kinds of masks probably have a range of marginal positive effects.

* BUT recommending them runs the risk of (a) people over-relying on them and not following isolation protocols (b) people wearing them incorrectly for a mix of less effective benefits and added risks (c) contributing to a run on masks which constrains supply for medical workers where the benefits are more critical.

If this is all true, it can simultaneously be the case that official guidelines against masks are reasonable recommendations and that it's also a reasonable recommendation to wear masks (on top of other more important precautions).

I'm sure that masks are not the sole factor in gentler curves in those countries. They do seem to be a common factor.

Phlogistique• 6 years ago

Hi,

Your comment fails to offer a counter-argument to the comment you are replying to; you are just repeating the position that the comment explicitly refutes.

Or are you stating that the WHO is lying?

In fact, the site linked in the comment explicitly states that.

oefrha8• 6 years ago

Those Asian cultures have a different epidemic curve not due to mask wearing, but because a totally different social structure, prior experience concerning epidemics, preparedness, attitude towards authority & emergency measures and other factors. So it's a fallacy of cherry picking to say that it's 'because they wear masks and all our authorities are wrong'.

And you’re not cherry-picking because what exactly?

piokoch• 6 years ago

It is not that WHO is lying, it can be misinformed or just do not know something. Previous global epidemic happened over 100 years ago, so I don't blame them for lack of knowledge.

We all have to learn and try new things, so if WHO says "mask are not helping" while there are evidences (maybe just correlation, but we just don't know for now!) that in some countries masks seems to help we should ask WHO if they are really sure. BTW: the fact that WHO pretends that Taiwan does not exists does not help investigating masks/no masks question.

"Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing" - sure, the problem is that even if someone breaths normally, talks normally can spread the virus. The problem with the coronavirus is that it has long incubation time. Someone might spread virus without having any symptoms.

My masks protects someone else, not me (unless I am wearing some pro stuff), as I am not spreading virus 2 meters around me, but 50 cm - maybe this is not that much, but in case of something that spreads according to power laws it might be a visible factor.

factsaresacred• 6 years ago

contradicts official WHO guidance

A few weeks ago official WHO guidance included:

- that there was "no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission" of the virus

- that international air travel should not be suspended "because of the social disruption they cause and the intensive use of resources required" (nothing about the efficacy of such a move).

Well look at us now. Maybe, just maybe, their guidance on this topic is also flawed.

The lack of critical thinking on the issue of masks is astonishing. There are study after study[0] showing that masks mitigate the transfer of virus particles. Then there's common sense which points in the same direction.

---

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3810906/

https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712%2808%2901008-4...

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6...

sbr4642• 6 years ago

I think saying “misinforming”, “dangerous”, or relying solely on the generic guidance of the WHO is a bit strong.

I think common sense prevails. Wearing equipment that filters airborne particulates will expose a person less than going without.

Personally, I would prefer being overprotected versus becoming a statistic in a WHO researcher’s Excel spreadsheet.

blackrock• 6 years ago

A grocery store aisle is about 4 feet wide.

Given the minimum 6 feet of social distancing, then there is no room for maneuvering around people here.

And all it takes is for one idiot to cough in your face without covering themselves, while you are walking past them, to get sick.

And now, you have a 14 day incubation window, to wait to see if you indeed got sick from this person.

The point of masks is that everyone must wear it, while in public. No exceptions are allowed.

This is a team effort. And all it takes is one person, to screw it up for everyone.

flarg• 6 years ago

We need to use our own common sense here sometimes, and the WHO are not making sense here. Kind of how they don't make sense regarding Tiwan and breast feeding. The WHO is being careful to say don't wear a mask unless you are ill, but with this virus we don't know until several weeks after we are infected, they are also mixing recommendations for non medical staff with recommendations with medical staff.

ilogik• 6 years ago

what happened to south coreea? did they only start wearing masks later?

https://www.xkcd.com/552/

blackoil• 6 years ago

Search for 'Patient 31 Korea'.

perf1• 6 years ago

Aren't all the Countries that are doing better, also countries that eat overall less carbs? I am a strong believer that Diabetes and Insulin resistance makes a huge difference.

nodamage• 6 years ago

I mean all those countries eat a ton of rice. I would not consider any of them to have low carb diets.

sschueller• 6 years ago

Masks can also result in a false sense of security causing people to ignoring physical distancing and washing hands.

I'd much rather have people keep their distance and wash their hands regularly than wearing masks which may or may not have any effect depending on material/age/fit etc.

fock• 6 years ago

well, the message has arrived here. the masks haven't ;). the bad thing about the whole issue is that these are low-labor products (just look at youtube for videos), so nothing would prevent a business from producing them domestically in the US/Europe... Unfortunately it's low-margin/low-tech as well, so we optimized it away...

maxerickson• 6 years ago

3M makes 1 million N95 masks every day in the US, about 1/3 of their global production. The problem is that it isn't enough to respond to the situation.

teruakohatu• 6 years ago

I am not arguing against wearing masks but your masks/no-masks graphic at the top does not show the full story.

I don't know why you consider China to be a non-mask wearing culture. There is plenty of evidence China is a mask wearing culture. Below [1] are articles from before 2015 about mask wearing in China. Anecdotally I have plenty of Chinese national friends and colleagues who wear masks.

As far as your mask wearing group goes, South Korea's trajectory is much like Western countries, which will also level off eventually. Hong Kong and Singapore are city states and are not comparable with large countries.

Evidence China is a mask wearing culture before 2015 (an arbitrary date to ensure no COVID-19 related articles):

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/10/pollutio...

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/04/world/asia/in-china-sun-p...

https://qz.com/299003/a-quick-history-of-why-asians-wear-sur...

https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20090916/best-swine-...

oefrha8• 6 years ago

The graph shows first 4 weeks only. That means the early stage of infection in China when the virus basically spread unhindered; if you extend the curve to after emergency was declared nationally then you would absolutely see the effect of masks.

Edit: First 4 weeks after the 100th case actually. But the numbers are clearly delayed and reflect transmission that happened much earlier, and you can already see the curve leveling off in the graph.

gilbetron• 6 years ago

The graphic seems a bit misleading, but China, Malaysia, and India seem to be deliberately not circled, meaning they are considered Mask wearing, or at least not "No masks". It could be more clearly presented, though.

Waterluvian• 6 years ago

Maybe. You may also just be leading the way as a cargo cultist. Maybe there's something else happening that mask wearing is a signal of. But at the moment your site is a poster child for "correlation implies causation".

I'm rather shocked at how much thoughtless agreement there is in this comment thread given the website makes only one incomplete argument in the case for masks.

Consider that in absence of real science, your site might do harm with such a bold claim.

voldacar• 6 years ago

You seriously think a bedsheet will stop the coronavirus, which is about 100nm wide?

varjag2• 6 years ago

An N95 mask doesn't "stop" coronavirus either, that's the 95 part of it.

A bedsheet would absolutely reduce viral load you spread, even at naïve assumption of the size - simply because it's an obstacle that inevitably catches some of particulate and reduces the airflow range.

But coronavirus is spread in suspended aerosol particles 3µm or so in size, which are filtered out even more efficiently by a wide range of materials.

wonnage2• 6 years ago

This is a common misconception. The virus doesn’t arrive as individual viruses. If it were purely a matter of filtering 100nm particles, a n95 mask wouldn’t be very effective either - the ratings are for particles 0.3um or larger.

Luckily, people don’t generally sneeze out plumes of pure virus. They’re embedded in much larger particles, and even cotton has some benefit: https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/coronavirus-pollution-ma...

rndgermandude3• 6 years ago

You might mean well, but what you did is spreading of misinformation and make the world a little worse. I would urge you to take down your website, but like e.g. anti-vaxers who by and large are well meaning as well, I doubt you will.

m4rtink2• 6 years ago

Nice! Really, masks can be hand made & there is really no reason one should not be wearing one during the pandemic.

As for hand made mask npt protecting you enough - well, this is actually a secondary concern. The biggest problem are people being infected that do not know that yet & if everyone has a mask this is much less of a problem, as they will contaminante much smaller area & the chance of them infecting others go way down.

The Czech government made masks mandatory in public more than two weeks ago & Slovak government followed suit quickly afterward.

So far it seems to be helping, so hopefully more states will follow suit.

tuxone• 6 years ago

Like your site, though I would suggest to put more weight on the correct use of the mask. Since the lockdown, when I go out for food supply I see plenty of people touching the mask, adjusting it, moving it on the forehead or chin just to answer a phonecall. Considering all these activities mask are doing more harm than good. Once interpersonal distance limit and hands hygiene are observed you are quite good to go. Then there are all those situations (eg. healthcare) where interpersonal distance cannot be observed and that's why countries are adopting measures in order to prioritize the adoption of the mask, especially with the shortage we are facing.

paulmcpazzi• 6 years ago

If you look at the standard equipment used in healthcare you'll notice that everyone wears mask and eye protection (goggles or face shields), because the virus can also transmit through the eye.

I'm not saying that masks are not effective, but I would be very careful with certain affirmations, such as: "going in public without a mask in a pandemic is like riding a motorcycle without a helmet", it's more like: "going in public with a mask only covering your mouth and nose is like walking through a fire while wearing a fire proximity suit and sandals".

mensetmanusman2• 6 years ago

This would work in an ideal situation. We would need 10 years of manufacturing to try this experiment for a month on a global scale.

axaxs• 6 years ago

You know, while I like stories like these, I find them equally frustrating because there doesn't seem to be any sources. Just Google the ignorant French doctor's name, for example.

It reminds me of my college psychology class. Our teacher would teach us from a book, then tell us the book was wrong and India had such discoveries prior. Cool to know, but now who knows the truth anymore.

wonnage2• 6 years ago

I got sent down a rabbithole of searching by this article too, apparently the doctor wrote an autobiography (in English!) in 1959 that was republished as recently as 2014, but apparently the only way to get ahold of it here is to have it shipped from Malaysia. Or some college libraries, which are unfortunately closed right now due to COVID.

I think we forget that the vast majority (i.e, pre-2005-ish) of human knowledge still exists in the old physical world of print and libraries. Unless you're exceedingly lucky (or it was recently reprinted), its basically impossible to get your hands on a digital version of an old book. Your best hope is that Google Books (which seems mostly abandoned) scanned it and will let you read a few pages.

yesenadam• 6 years ago

Unless you're exceedingly lucky (or it was recently reprinted), its basically impossible to get your hands on a digital version of an old book.

I read a lot of old books - early 20th C, 19th, 18th, 17th C, and medieval and ancient. Archive.org has most of what I search for - nice scans, in multiple formats, free. Also you can often borrow mid-late 20th C stuff online from there for a few weeks if not they're not downloadable outright. Libgen has a lot of stuff from early-mid 20th C and before. If those fail, I order it online, usually a few dollars. We're so spoilt!

peanutz454• 6 years ago

Just take solace in the fact that you learned something and you know how to apply what you learn. There are so many things where there is no right answer and one can never be found. Your teacher probably helped you remember the concept better by making a story out of it.

richajak3• 6 years ago

His analysis documented on this book

A treatise on pneumonic plague, by Wu Lien-Teh https://wellcomelibrary.org/item/b19164415#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0...

His mask sounds simpler than N95 masks, only replaced by the newer design during SARS period in 2013. By the way, anyone has the original design of Dr Wu's mask? Can we mass produce this design for everyone? We need it

richajak3• 6 years ago

Found answer for my question if anyone is interested to do DIY at home

page 393-394 This consists of two layers of gauze enclosing a flat oblong piece of absorbent cotton 6 inches by 4 inches. It can beeasily made by cutting the usual surgical gauze (9 inches wide), as supplied from the shops, into strips, each measuring 3 feet in length. Each strip is then doubled lengthwise so as to contain in the middle a flat piece of cottonwool measuring 4 inches by 6 inches. At either end of the gauze two cuts, each measuring 15 inches, are made. Thusturning the pad into a three-tail gauze bandage, with the central piece of wool for covering the respiratory entrance.The upper tail of one side should be passed round the side of the head above the ear and tied to the othercorresponding tail. The lowermost tail should in a similar manner be passed under the ear and tied to the one on theother side, while the middle tail should be passed over the crown of the head, so as to fix the pad and prevent it fromslipping down the neck

jdjriekfkf• 6 years ago

The secret ingredient in N95 masks (and surgical) is a very fancy modern material: melt-blown non-woven polypropylene.

This is what makes a paper thin surgical mask way better than a thick cotton one.

richajak3• 6 years ago

Totally agree, that's said most people cannot get surgical masks anymore, not to mention N95 masks. If we can learn the lesson from outbreak happened before modern tech invented, world would be a better place. We cannot produce or easily buy nanotech material used for N95 masks. However we can use whatever materials avail in our house easily. If need extra protection, add 2 layers of tissue between mask and face. Do not touch mask when you are outside. Stay away at least 2m from any human being. Do not touch anything outside. Immediately take shower and disinfect youself with 80p alcohol at home. :) hopefully most of us will not get infected, I do not want scenario in movie like Contagion or World War Z to happen for human race.

devy• 6 years ago

Other than invented face mask, Dr. Lien-teh Wu was the first medical student of Chinese descent to study at the University of Cambridge and graduated top class. Later Dr. Wu had also studied at Pasteur Institute, the world's renowned institute on infectious disease. After successfully led the containment effort for Manchurian Pneumonic Plague of 1910–1911, he co-founded Chinese Medical Association. He was also widely considered the pioneer of public health and the founding father of modern medicine in China.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Lien-teh

whatshisface• 6 years ago

Didn't the plague doctors with the bird masks predate that?

radarsat12• 6 years ago

Does anyone know if there's any truth to ideas that certain metals like copper are "antibacterial"?

I am worried because I have seen stories (e.g. [1]) that claim that masks incorporating copper can be effective against the virus (never mind that "antibacterial" apparently also means it can fight viruses, which makes no sense). Basically, I am seeing an increase in people selling "masks" that are not approved and that has me worried. I would like some information about whether there is any science, for or against, to the idea that particular materials, especially metals, have any kind of "special" effect against bacteria and viruses.

[1] https://www.efe.com/efe/america/sociedad/mascarillas-de-cobr... (spanish)

ardit33• 6 years ago

Don't be lazy. Just Google search SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces and you will see that Coronavirus lasts about 4hrs in Copper, while it can stay one day in Cardboard and several days in Stainless Steel and Plastics.

So, yes, there is something special about copper. But copper is not a virus killer (i.e. kills them at contact), it justs seems that viruses don't survive that long in copper. This has been known since ancient times (where Copper pantry and utensils was preferred over Steel).

The New England Journal of Medicine. The scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/new-coronaviru...

madengr• 6 years ago

The anti-microbial effect of copper has been known for decades, which is why it fathoms next that fixtures in hospitals are still made from steel.

radarsat12• 6 years ago

Don't be lazy.

Thanks, your answer was very helpful. However, I feel you could have given it without this prefix, without any detriment to the content of your post.

unwind• 6 years ago

The proper name is the oligodynamic effect [1], and that seems well-proven to me at least but I'm certainly no expert. It seems the effect does cover viruses too, and copper has such an effect [2].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligodynamic_effect [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_properties_of_co...

spangry• 6 years ago

Here's an interesting reference (viruses): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030438941...

And more generally (bacteria): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_copper-alloy_tou...

EDIT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_properties_of_co...

stareatgoats• 6 years ago

Wu explains to the French doctor his theory that plague is pneumonic and airborne (...) And the French guy humiliates him . . . and in very racist terms says, ‘What can we expect from a Chinaman?’ And to prove this point, [the French doctor] goes and attends the sick in a plague hospital without wearing Wu’s mask, and he dies in two days with plague.

Maybe we're like this French doctor, and that this is still the reason why we don't wear masks in the west? A widespread practice in several East Asian countries - but what do they know?

rswail• 6 years ago

The reason we don't is because we weren't dramatically affected by SARS. SARS in the early '00s was primarily a problem in Asia.

Japanese people also have an etiquette of wearing a mask when ill to avoid spreading disease.

Both of these habits are widespread in Asia because of this.

skocznymroczny• 6 years ago

Also in many Asian cities masks are worn due to air pollution.

puranjay• 6 years ago

I picked up this habit because of widespread pollution in New Delhi

gumby• 6 years ago

Mask culture in Southeast Asia (to stop disease transmission) predated SARS for decades.

shostack• 6 years ago

If we have a high percentage of asymptomatic carriers, and masks reduce transmission substantially, it would be great to see a cultural change in Western countries to make them commonplace whenever you are in public.

If the fashion industry gets on board to make them look nice and production ramps up to make them widespread and affordable, we may actually see mass societal change around this.

Hgreenfield• 6 years ago

Not a single mention of the disastrous pollution caused by the disposal of millions of non-biodegradable single-use masks into landfills. Yes, they are a big innovation. Yes, the tech is saving lives. But come on, this is 2020, not one mention of pollution?

forgingahead• 6 years ago

The mask denialism in the comments is incredible to see.

Let's all agree (without polemics): masks can be helpful, so we should encourage everyone to wear them, unless there is a shortage, in which case priority should be given to healthcare workers/elderlies/front-line staff/etc.

pishpash• 6 years ago

It's fucking stupid. It's like seeing condom denial because some priest says only abstinence works.

m4rtink2• 6 years ago

And even then people should make their own mask and wear that.

Joeri• 6 years ago

From what I understand the WHO guidance around masks has to do with the shortages on one hand and human behavior on the other hand. People who wear masks behave in a higher risk way, and because the safety benefit from the mask by itself is quite low (without medical training you are likely to use it wrong), statistically it is better to recommend people to not wear masks so they will behave more safely.

It’s a bit like gun ownership: intuitively it makes you safer, but statistically it makes you less safe because of behavioral and opportunity changes.

bkor• 6 years ago

According to the Corona expert in South Korea, masks help a great deal. His assumption on why the WHO only recommends masks in Asia and not anywhere else is due to the limited amount of supply anywhere but in Asia. In Asia people like already own masks. Anywhere else people would first need to stock up. Leading to shortages. As such, it's better not to recommend them so medical professionals are prioritized.

It's also interesting that in in Europe/US they focus on a person not getting a disease. In Asia they often wear a masks if the person isn't feeling well. Meaning, the mask is to prevent the person who is wearing it from infecting others. This bit is often glossed over.

The video is available at https://youtu.be/gAk7aX5hksU. I don't know exactly where they discussed the masks. The entire video is great, so suggest to watch the whole thing.

Note: It also talks about spreading by touching your nose and then someone or some surface.

salty_biscuits• 6 years ago

I think your intuition on safety with gun ownership is culturally specific and maybe not the best example...

Markoff2• 6 years ago

I think anything Wuhan Health Organization says should be taken with big grain of salt anymore, they are either extremely incompetent or paid by Chinese gov, none of them serves them well

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/487851-china-and-t...

brainzap• 6 years ago

Same with bike helmets, kids drive riskier and the statistics proofs it.

nicklaf2• 6 years ago

The most offensive idea I'm seeing here is that Americans are somehow too stupid to be trusted with masks because they can't put them on properly or will use them as an excuse to ignore social distancing protocols.

I sincerely hope we don't dismiss the success of South Korea simply because of this kind of fatalistic presumption of ineptitude. If South Koreans can do it, Americans ought to be up to the challenge as well, no?

Of course, people clearly will need to be open to listening carefully to their government and to closely adhering to all aspects of transmission-limiting protocols, and be instructed in proper mask fitting. I could certainly imagine seeing a breakdown of that in America, of course, since we'd need people to trust in their government, and for their government to be competent and properly funded. Which are things we frankly aren't good at, apparently for deep-seated cultural reasons.

dboreham• 6 years ago

Can the "mask shaming" be worked around by wearing a bandanna or scarf over the top to hide it, or does that reduce its effectiveness?

mnw21cam2• 6 years ago

The most offensive idea I'm seeing here is that Americans are somehow too stupid to be trusted with masks because they can't put them on properly...

And yet when I watch the news on TV, I see multiple cases of people wandering around outside with a mask over their mouth but not their nose. Perhaps the news people should be pointing that out, and doing a "here's how to use a mask properly" section.

pmachinery• 6 years ago

Advocating against the use of other protective measures - condoms, helmets, safety belts - because they're not 100% wouldn't be given the time of day, and it's high time people stopped tolerating or even assuming good-faith from people repeating the same anti-vaxxer level crap they've read someone else regurgitate in another threads.

Actual lives are being put at risk by this anti-mask idiocy; dangerous advice shouldn't be allowed to spread unhindered any more than Covid itself.

michaelt• 6 years ago

Well, you sure told the US Surgeon General [1] and the CDC [2] - good job.

[1] https://twitter.com/Surgeon_General/status/12337257852839321... [2] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-si...

wyager• 6 years ago

masks can be helpful, so we should encourage everyone to wear them

Whether it does or doesn't make sense to use masks, this is not a logical argument. "Masks can be helpful" is almost certainly true, but it doesn't imply that using them is necessarily worth the cost (in terms of material, production capacity required, convenience, etc.).

"X can be helpful so we should do it", without any regard whatsoever to cost (especially opportunity cost), does seem to be the predominant thought process at the moment.

netwanderer3• 6 years ago

One major weakness of the current N95 masks is that sometimes it doesn't seal very well to the contours of people's faces. When this happens, it doesn't work as well because particles can still travel into the airway via open space gaps.

I personally have not seen this implemented, but one possible solution I believe may work is to apply a thin layer of sticky hydrogen tape right along the edges of the mask so it would act like an adhesive that helps seal the open space gaps as it can fit with the unique shape and contour of each person's face.

Medical hydrogen tape is the same material that we often see being used in those sticky pads that they put on a person's body during an electrocardiogram (EKG) test. It's also the same adhesive that used by those electro pads in TENS pain-relief machines. This sticky adhesive material is safe for human skins and can last multiple uses.

It would be great if someone could add a feature in which you can insert a removable HEPA filter so it can be swapped in and out when needed.

wegs2• 6 years ago

For public health use (as opposed to medical use), the difference between an N95 mask and a surgical mask is pretty small. They both make a huge difference.

It's true: air can come around if the seal isn't perfect. However, you've eliminated most of the virus. At that point, other modes of spread become dominant.

In a medical setting, where you're guarding against all modes of spread with a full body suit, googles, etc., and where you're dealing with large numbers of exposures, it's a completely different story.

Ballpark numbers for masks+frequent handwashing suggest that they'd bring R0 close to 1, assuming a whole bunch of unvalidated assumptions (e.g. they have the same impact on coronavirus as on the flu). At that point, we should be able to get things under control with social distancing and similar measures.

mnw21cam2• 6 years ago

When I was doing a lot of sanding, I had one of these masks, and taped it around the edges to my face. The mask would have been utterly useless if I hadn't done so, as all the dust would have just come around the edges. I just used painters' masking tape. It worked.

lordgrenville• 6 years ago

Most people probably won't put it on correctly, per this claim:

"I remember my respirator training, the last time I worked in a hospital. They gave the standard two minute explanation, made you put the respirator on, and then made you go underneath a hood where they squirted some aerosolized sugar solution. If you could smell the sugar, your respirator was leaky and you failed. I tried so hard and I failed so many times. It was embarrassing and I hated it.

"I’m naturally clumsy and always bad at that kind of thing. Some people were able to listen to the two minute explanation and then pass right away. Those kinds of people could probably also listen to a two minute YouTube explanation and be fine. So I don’t want to claim it’s impossible or requires lots of specialized background knowledge. It’s just a slightly difficult physical skill you have to get right...You are unlikely to be able to figure out how to use an N95 respirator correctly. I’m not saying it’s impossible, if you try really hard, but assume you’re going to fail unless you have some reason to think otherwise."

https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/23/face-masks-much-more-t...

mauvehaus• 6 years ago

The problem of facial sealing is well-solved in the industrial space. People who routinely need respiratory protection for stuff other than particulates use a half-face (or full face) respirator [0] that has a body made of some flexible material that seals to the face far better than an N95 mask.

You can get particulate cartridges in the N or P-flavored type, which I use for sanding. It's also usually possible to get a particulate pre-filter on top of e.g. an organic vapor cartridge.

Respirators also come in sizes and need to be fit-tested. The quick and dirty method is to take off the cartridges, seal the holes they mount to and breathe in. If you feel your ears popping, it fits-ish (EDITED TO ADD: I am not an industrial hygienist, and I'm principally worried about wood dust not organic vapors or acid vapors or anything really bad. Don't take industrial hygiene advice from some random on the internet!). A proper fit test involves somebody puffing something around the mask while you breathe, talk, and possibly a few other things.

As it happens, for a proper seal, you also need to be clean-shaven. As I'm principally protecting myself from wood dust, I don't bother. If I'm using something noxious (like paint stripper), I'll shave and put on the correct cartridges.

Whether or not this is a solution to the current medical problem is beyond my expertise. There may be an advantage to regularly disposing of your N95 mask to prevent accidental contamination or something.

[0] https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/All...

donavanm• 6 years ago

Im a fan of the pink p95 & p100 disposables with nuisance level organic filtering. I want to say 2097? I used them for small painting, welding, and brazing jobs. Work a treat with organic solvents & weak acid vapors and IIRC they werent much more than the regular N & P series. The carts were nice with theprefilters but then I just have more things to keep in stock.

nradov2• 6 years ago

The difficulty in achieving a proper face seal is apparently why the US Army doesn't allow most soldiers to have beards.

"Actually, when I went to Israel I went and … talked about beards and challenges and issues, and had a lot of long discussions about it, and bottom line is, it poses a threat to our soldiers on the battlefield. There’s … data to prove it’s very difficult for the seal on a protective mask."

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-daniel-dailey-tattoos-b...

exhilaration• 6 years ago

it's already being done. In today's (very disturbing) article about New York health workers:

A nurse on her unit has already contracted the virus and one doctor is so scared he affixes an N95 mask to his face with tape at the beginning of each shift.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/nyregion/ny-coronavirus-d...

yuanchanga• 6 years ago

This is such a dumb article.

It focuses on just the one piece of PPE that has gotten an undeserved amount of attention in the coronavirus crisis, when it's not the only tool in the arsenal of healthcare workers (compared with normal surgical masks, face shields, papr devices, etc).

And it is not necessarily the best tool for the general populace. (hypothetically (ballpark numbers from some stuff i remember reading) If a normal surgical mask can be replaced twice as often and is easier to breath through while only sacrificing 30% of protection, etc, what is recommended for the general public? Even the N95 only protects against... 95% of particulates of the specified size, why not wear a P100 filter on a gas mask?).

From a macro and epidemiological standpoint, what is the optimal guidance on the level of PPE for the general public to wear for the greatest net effect? Is what I consider the most interesting and relevant question.

There is also an unchecked assumption in this article that the N95 is "most important design object of our time".

It also fails to explain that N95 is a standard of protection rather than a certain object, it fails to explain the meaning of the standard.

(Which is) N = Not oil resistant 95 = Removes 95% of all particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter

It merges the development paths of protective masks against particulates, which is the true purpose of N95 masks, and protective equipment for healthcare. To me, I think N95 happened to be a standard similar enough to the requirements of healthcare, so they simply adopted it. Rather than the false narrative the article paints of the N95 mask being developed FOR medicine.

I would have been interested to read about the additional requirements a FDA defined "surgical N95" must meet (additional fluid resistance), or how the N95 plays into the entire suite of relevant protective equipment in this crisis (When doctors use a normal surgical mask, N95, PAPR, face shield, or goggles).

edit: clickbait article that doesn't give any information beyond what 5 minutes googling would use.

edit2: would have been interesting to read about how people are making face masks and other protective equipment or experiments in sanitizing and reusing one time use face masks.

thisrod• 6 years ago

By the late 1870s, scientists learned about bacteria.

Bacteria had been discovered in the 17th Century, the moment the microscope was invented. I think by Robert Hooke, but I could have misremembered that.

What was new in the 1870s was the germ theory of disease.

The origin story of the N95 mask

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